Hoppers, or vacuum receivers are usually mounted to the processing machine throat; and, the processing material, which is typically in the form of pellets or other flowable solid, is fed or free to flow by way of the hopper as needed into the machine where it is processed. Extruded plastics are a common example of such apparatus. In many applications, the same machine is used to produce different products. Since different products require different starting materials, the processing materials have to be changed often.
Another reason for frequent material changeover is due to short runs. Obviously, in certain instances only a small amount of product may be desirable. A constant switching of the processing material, therefore, goes hand-in-hand with machine operation. The exchange of material and set up are slow and produce machine downtime. The hopper must be removed allowing remaining material to be returned to the Gaylord, bag, or barrel. Tools are required, and remaining material is often wasted due to spillage during the changeover. Spilled material makes the work area dangerous and causes machine parts to bind and stick.
Hence, there remains a need for a processing machine loader device that saves time, material, and labor. The present invention is directed toward meeting this need.